The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1887-03-31
TAIN AG E'S SERMON.
: q
A Telling Discourse on the swell
ing OF Jordan. "ss4s
How Those Who VIII May Find Means to
4 Resist the IIeed Tides of Tempta-
lion and Their consequence
81 Early Promises Unfulfllled.

I'm ! G sAIIs 81
Rev +. De witt Talmage, in recent
sermon at the Brooklyn Tabernacle, chose
for his subject .The Swelling of Jordan, u
taking for his text.
II thou hast run with the footmen, and they
have wearied thee, then how canst thou con-
tend with heEsesls And if in the land of peace,
wherein thou trustedst, they wearied thee, then
how Viii thou DC u the swelling Of yordans-
jeremiah had become inpatient with
has troubles God says to him:
1T Eeu can not,stand these small trials
and prosecutions. what are you going to
do when the greater. trials and persecu-
lions comet II you have been running a
race with footmen- and they have beaten
you,Swhats chances is there that you will
outrnaAlaorsessil4ss esan aas se
And then the figure is changed. You
know, I'M April and May the Jordan over
flows it's banks, and the waters rush
Violently on, sweeping every thing before
them, And God says to the prophet:
III you aressoVercome. with smaller
trials and vexations, which have assault
ed yeH Ehst will Won Do when the trials
and aInoyances and Prosecutions of Fife
GUILTY.
aIff1 the land Of peace, wherein thou trust
cdst, they wearied thee, then how will thou do
ia the Swelling Of Jordanf Il ssssS,e !
80 *sssasHow DO WITHOUT CHRISTI
~fpropbse, if God will help me, IN very
practical way to ask-if it is such diff
cult thing to get long without the relig-
Ion of Jesus Christ, when things are COM
paratively smooth, what will we do with
out. Christ amid The overpowering misfort-
unes and disasters Of life that may come
upon usa Htroubles, slow as footmen,
surpass US, what viii we do when. they
take the feet of horsesa and if now in our
lifetime we are beaten back and sub
merged of sorrows because we have not
the religion of Jesus to- comfort us, what
wfIIwe do when We stand in death, and
we feel all around about US ssthe swell
ings Of sIrdan?'n'. The fact, that you
haVezS come here, my . sbrothef,s my
sisters shoWse that us,have some things
you believe in common with myself Y on
betfeye that there is a God There is not
anrAtheist in all this house. I do not be-
lieae there everswas a real Atheist in all
the world. Napoleon was on ships
deck beupa for Egypt. 1t was, a bright
starry night. and as he paced the deck,
thinking of the great affairs of the state
and OF battle, he heard two men on deck
Instrumentation about God; one saying
there was q God and the other saying
there was none. Napoleon stopped and
looked up at the starry heavens, and then
he turned to these men in conversation,
and said: y
Gentlemen, I heard one of you say
there Is no God; if there is no God, will
you please to tell me who made all thatf'
.Aye,sf you had not been persuaded of
it abefore, you are persuaded of 1t now
for the shining heavens declare the glory
OF God and the earth shows his handi-
But you believe more than that; you
believe that there was Jesus you be-
lave than there was a. cross; you believe
that you have an Immortal soul; you be-
lieve that it must be regenerated by the
spirit of God, or you can never dwell in
blisseeternaLS think that great many
Of you will say that you believe it is i'm
Christ every day of our life, to smooth on r
tempers and purify our minds, and hold
us imperturbable amid all the annoyance
and Tvexatiens of life. You and I have
seen so many men trampled down by mis-
Jesus, and you say to yourself:
IF they were so easily overcome by the
trials of life, what will it be when greater
misfortunes come upon them-heart-
breaking calamities, tremendous grlefss''
"Oh, If we have no God to comfort us
when our fortune goes, and we look upon
the grave of our children, and our houses
are desolate, what will become of usa
What a sad thing it is to see men all I'M
helped of God, going out to fight giants of
trouble; no closet of prayer in which to
retreat, no promise Of mercy to soothe
the soul, no rock of refuge in which to
hide from the blast. Oh, when the swift
coursers OF. trouble are brought up, champ
ing and painting for the race, and the reins
are thrown upon their necks, and the lath.
cred Hanks at every spring feel the stroke
OF the lash, what can we do on foot with
thema If. having run with the footmen,
they wearied us, how can we contend with
horses1sss
We have all yielded to temptation. We
have been surprised afterward that so
small an inducement could have deceived
US from the right How insignificant
a temptation has sometimes captured
our Tssoufla And, if this is SO.
my dear brother, what will 1t be
when we come to stand in the presence of
temptation that Frustrated David, and a
Moses, and a Peter, and some of the
mightiest men in all Gods kingdomi Now
we are honest;. but suppose we were
placed in some path of life, as many of
Gods children have been, where all the
forces of earth and hell combine to capt
ure the soula Without Jesus we would 20
down under it. If already we have been
beaten by Insignificant footmen, we would
be distanced 10000 leagues by the horses.
An, don't like to hear a man say:
"Tcould not commit such a sin as that.
can't understand how man could be
carried away Hike that
You don't know what you could do if
the grace OF God lets you You know
what John Bunyan said when he saw a
man Staggering along the street, thor
ougly imbruted in his habits He said:
There goes John Bunyan, but for the
grace Of Godr'
- can say when see one utterly fallen:
Fhere goes De Witt Talmage, but for
the grace Of zGodp, z.*
A. Il We have been delivered from tempta-
fienit ID because the strong arm Of the
Lord Almighty has been about us, and
not because we were any better than they.
- Is q great folly to borrow trouble. If
we'can meet the rnisfortunes Of to day we
be able to meet the troubles of to-